Central York committee hears hours of public comment on Inch and Co. LERDA request; members decline to forward recommendation

At a Business Operations Committee meeting Feb. 19, Inch and Co. asked the Central York School District committee to recommend a 10-year Local Economic Revitalization Tax Act (LERDA) abatement for a proposed sports complex. The developers said the abatement would help incubate operations after a roughly $34.5 million construction cost and asked that the committee send the request to the full school board.

The request matters because Inch and Co. asked to abate about $2.5 million in taxes over 10 years on improvements, while projecting that the property — which generated about $11,223 for the district in 2024 — could generate $562,385 annually by year 11 if the complex and operations succeed. Developers described the abatement as a tool to offset early operational losses while the complex ramps up and to attract tournaments that they say will produce regional economic activity.

Inch and Co. representatives, identified in the meeting as Joe (Inch and Co.) and Matt (Inch and Co.), presented a proposal that described local partnerships (including a naming-rights relationship with WellSpan), permits in hand (NPDES, stormwater reports, traffic work), and economic projections: roughly 51 new direct positions (39 part time and 12 full time), a reported average…